Columbus council holds public hearing on proposed zoning changes to allow accessory dwelling units citywide

Council Member Otto Beatty opened a public hearing to consider proposed changes to Columbus’s zoning code that would make it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, sometimes called ADUs.

The hearing, convened by the Columbus City Council as part of its “Housing for All” initiative, focused on draft code changes under Title 33 (zoning) and related Title 34 provisions. Chief Zoning Officer Shannon Pine presented the city’s analysis and initial proposals and said the purpose of the meeting was to hear residents, neighborhood groups and advocacy organizations.

The proposed language would allow ADUs in residential districts, subject to scale and design limits. “An accessory dwelling unit means a second residential dwelling unit, which provides complete independent living facilities for 1 or more persons,” Pine said, and she described proposed limits including that an ADU “would not exceed 65% of the floor area or 1,000 square feet, whichever is greater” and that height likely would be capped at 25 feet or the height of the principal building, whichever is less. Pine also said the draft would raise total lot coverage to 65% (from 50%), would not require additional parking for ADUs, and would retain building-permit and historic-district certificate-of-appropriateness requirements where applicable.

Why it matters: proponents said ADUs can add modest, lower-cost rental units and enable multigenerational living without wholesale change to neighborhood character. Rayna Sims, associate state director of outreach and advocacy for AARP Ohio, told council that ADUs “give older adults the needed flexibility to stay in the communities they…